Following the Province’s commitment to fund additional beds last fall, work to redevelop the Fairvern Nursing Home in Huntsville into a 160-bed long-term care facility is well underway.
Planning and Design Work
- Planning and design work to accommodate the larger resident home is underway, including consideration of alternative site locations to ensure the future site can meet the expanded needs in the most cost-effective manner.
- A proposed donated site location on Earls Road was considered.
- Following careful consideration, Council voted not to proceed with the proposed donated site on Earls Road, due to challenges with servicing and coordination of the development in comparison to other properties available for the project.
- District Council, the Town of Huntsville, and the Fairvern Board of Directors thank Mr. Dube and his family for their generous proposal to donate land for this redevelopment and ongoing support for their community.
- Two alternative site options located in Huntsville are currently being assessed, with an announcement expected in September.
- Once a site is selected, the next steps in the development of the property may include planning approvals (such as a site plan agreement) as well as the update of supporting studies to assess matters like traffic impacts, site servicing and protection of the natural environment.
- It is expected that the tender for construction will take place next fall with construction starting in 2023 and completion in 2025.
Current Fairvern Operations
- The District and the current Fairvern Board of Directors continue to work together to transition operations of the home from Fairvern’s Board of Directors to the District.
- Tarek Moharram joined the Fairvern Team as a full-time Administrator earlier this year, under secondment from the District of Muskoka. Tarek’s experience in LTC will be a great asset to guide the transition of operations to the District.
- District Council has also approved a loan to Fairvern so that necessary replacement of heating equipment and emergency generator can be done ahead of the upcoming heating season.
- Leaders and staff at the District and Fairvern are committed to ensuring the best possible quality of care for residents at the current site until redevelopment is complete.
Next Steps
- Regular communications with Fairvern residents, their families, staff, and the community as the transition of operations and redevelopment work continues.
- Redevelopment updates and community outreach will continue as the project moves into construction phases.
Visit our Long-Term Care page for more information and previous updates.
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Hello again Mr. Markle, the closed session council meeting was at District. So the entire District council was in attendance, including all four members from Huntsville. Thank-you.
Thank you councilor Withey, but my comment is still much the same. Although now I might query as to whether the entire Huntsville council knows what you do? If not, why just you?
Still got that twitch.
Mr. Markle, I do, in fact, know, but as this was discussed in a closed session meeting as determined by council procedure I am bound by the rules not to reveal any information at this point.
In the fullness of time it will be known. I know it’s hard to trust in that statement and people are understandably anxious to know what’s happening, but there are rules that must be adhered to. With a little patience we will soon be able to share some exciting news!
As many of you know I have been involved in this file for many years, always with the well-being of the residents at the forefront in mind. Hopefully we will now be able to accelerate the process and get shovels in the ground sooner rather than later. That’s what my fellow Huntsville District Councillors and I are laser focused on. I appreciate your concerns, they are valid and I thank you for expressing them. We are all pushing hard to get this important project moving forward.
It is just me or do others get a nervous twitch when we hear the comment ‘after consideration, Council voted not to proceed with the proposed donated site on Earls’ Rd. due to challenges with……’
Will there not be challenges with any site? And if the land is a donation (thank you Mr. Dube’) and maybe worth ??$ are you not starting out that much further along in the process? Are there attachments to the gift like Greystone being main/lead management contractor? Would that be unacceptable?
So come on ‘careful considerers’, enlighten us. Where are these alternate, pristine, problem free sites and what ‘challenges’ disappear when you move Fairvern there. Who makes how much? Why the secrecy?
Councilor Withey assures us that these proposed properties are in or near Huntsville, but does he know? I derive little solace from his statement. Was he made privy to the whereabouts of the sites and then pinkie swore to secrecy?
I have heard, that in political circles the word to describe open and honest is ‘transparent’. Would someone please try either one?
The twitch is still there and now I think I’m getting a rash!
Did I miss something here? Are we going to close and abandon the current Fairvern sight or add another site so there will be two?
With the closing of the Mountview sewage plant plus the land around the current Fairvern sight it would seem that there should be plenty of land to expand the current site rather than look for a new one.
This site is pretty central, handy if one is walking.
The one thing I’d like to see is a pedestrian bridge over to the Summit Centre side of the river. If nothing else it would allow high school students to make it to MacDonalds for lunch quicker but seriously it would make this part of the town much more person friendly too.
It was in the original Summit plan……
Why? There must be a good underlying reason for the decision, but it’s certainly not obvious. Dube & Co. seem to be handing the town a deal…just sayin’.
Where are the other sites?
Sad situation when money and property are both available and We are still looking at a 2025 date for something needed yesterday !